DRAFT – REVISED CODED MEMO –
AUTOMATIC EXTENSION OF ACCESSIBLE TECHNOLOGY INITIATIVE REQUIREMENTS
This Coded Memorandum establishes an automatic extension of the timelines and required actions for
implementation of the Accessible Technology Initiative (ATI), as specified in Coded Memo AA-2007-04.
Background
In 2007, Coded Memorandum AA-2007-04 set out specific timelines with required milestones for
the accomplishment of goals related to ATI implementation on campuses. The Coded Memo also set
out deadlines for campuses to submit initial plans and then reports in the three ATI priority areas: Web
Accessibility, Instructional Materials Accessibility and Electronic and Information Technology
Procurement. The CSU campuses have developed comprehensive and substantive plans, and the annual
reports that have since been submitted indicate that significant accomplishments have been made
towards achieving the ATI goals in each of these priority areas.
At the time that Coded Memo AA-2007-04 was issued, the CSU had little experience in the
implementation of such a broad and ambitious accessibility initiative. The timelines and milestones
were established based upon awareness of relevant legal requirements yet were influenced by limited
experiences with the many specific programs required for actual system-wide implementation. Coded
Memorandum AA-2006-41, which set forth the general roadmap for the ATI had envisioned three
phases: Planning and Evaluation (2006-07), Implementation (2007-08), and Assessment (2008-09).
Assessment results were to be used to adjust and enhance strategies. After two years of herculean
efforts on CSU campuses to plan and evaluate ATI needs and actions and to begin implementation of
those plans and actions, it is evident that the original timelines and milestones were extremely
ambitious, and that successful and effective implementation of the ATI will require more time than
originally envisioned.
The State of California’s fiscal situation has further hindered CSU campuses efforts to meet the
timelines set out in the original plans for the ATI. Effective implementation of the ATI requires adequate
staffing and budget allocations for related expenses, professional development and training, and tools.
All of these resources are strained by fiscal realities. Extending the implementation deadlines for ATI
requirements is a rational response to the fiscal realities and the size of the efforts required.
The ATI Executive Sponsors have determined that Coded Memo AA-2007-04 needs to be revised to
reflect these factors. They are engaged in a deliberative process together with the ATI Leadership
Council and the ATI staff to examine the nature of some of the milestones, as well as the most
appropriate timetable for their completion. This will require consultation with several different CSU
stakeholder groups that are affected by the ATI, and it will likely take up to nine months.
Modifications to ATI Timelines
As an interim measure, the milestones in Coded Memo AA-2007-04 (and in subsequent Coded
Memoranda that modified the milestone deadlines) are automatically extended by nine months. Before
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the completion of that nine month extension, the ATI Leadership Council will recommend and
implement revised timelines for implementation. Of particular importance are two near term deadlines,
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May 15, 2009: All administrative sites that are critical to institutional access (as established
in the Web Accessibility Implementation Plan) should, at a minimum, conform to baseline
accessibility standards as defined in Section 508. This deadline is automatically extended to
February 15, 2010.
September 1, 2009: Implementation of an accessible procurement process for all E&IT
procurement card acquisitions greater than $2,500. Coded Memo AA-2008-21 revised the
milestone for 2008 to E&IT acquisitions greater than $15,000, and that requirement is still in
effect. . This deadline is automatically extended to June 1, 2010.
All ATI milestones and timelines that went into effect before this date will remain in effect.
Taking this interim step has been reviewed and approved by CSU legal counsel, the ATI Leadership
Council and the Executive Sponsors Steering Committee.
Continuation of Implementation of ATI
The automatic extension of the milestones listed above is a temporary measure to allow for the
revisions to Coded Memo AA-2007-04 that will take place in the 2009 and 2010 calendar years. The
over-arching goals of the Accessible Technology Initiative will remain in place, and campuses are
encouraged to maintain the current efforts to achieve ATI goals as soon as possible. The CSU campuses
have already taken significant and measurable steps to implement the ATI, including the establishment
of ATI Coordinating Councils, the assignment of ATI responsibilities to staff members, the adoption of
new processes and procedures and many more important accomplishments. Some campuses have
exceeded the goals and timelines that have been put into place. These efforts must continue, and if
they do not, campuses will experience major problems when the revised Coded Memo is issued. The
Accessible Technology Initiative staff at the Chancellor’s Office will continue to support campus efforts
through the provision of professional development and training resources, the development and
procurement of useful tools, coordination of communications between campuses and identification of
best practices.
Campus reports on ATI implementation for 2009 will be due to the Chancellor’s Office on November
15, 2009. These reports will measure the progress that has taken place in implementation of each
campus’s plans for web accessibility, accessibility of instructional materials and procurement of
electronic and information technology. The reports will also, at this time, assist the Chancellor’s Office
to document the current capacities of the campuses to implement the ATI and will provide useful
information regarding how to structure the new milestones and timelines.
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